Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Tuesday 11 January 2000

Scottish Executive

Caledonian MacBrayne

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the report by the Commissioner for Public Appointments as to the appointment of Dr Harold Mills as Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne; if so, what action it proposes to take; in particular, whether it plans to invite Dr Mills to step down and conduct a new appointment process in line with the revised guidelines recommended by the Commissioner, and whether it will place a copy of the report in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Donald Dewar: The Scottish Executive welcomes the report prepared by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in response to complaints she had received concerning the appointment of Dr Harold Mills as Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne.

  The Executive will be acting on the constructive criticism Dame Rennie Fritchie has made and the Minister for Finance announced on 13 December that a consultation paper on future public appointments in Scotland will be issued. This is aimed both at widening the range of people who are selected for public appointment and ensuring that the process used commands the confidence of the public.

  The Commissioner concluded that Dr Mills was appointed on merit; that there was no suggestion of improper conduct; and that the appointment process was generally conducted with diligence and fairness. In these circumstances there is no case for the process to be reopened and I understand that the Commissioner is of the same opinion. I have full confidence in Dr Mills’ abilities to provide the strong Chairmanship which the company needs.

  I have arranged for a copy of the Commissioner’s report to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Census

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2723 on 7 December 1999, when the draft Census Order in council is to be laid before the Parliament.

Mr Jim Wallace: The draft Census Order in Council was laid before the Parliament on 10 January.

Census

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be an opportunity for the Parliament and interested agencies and individuals to suggest amendments to the draft Census Order in Council either before or once laid before the Parliament and if so, what format will this take and over what period of time.

Mr Jim Wallace: Interested agencies and individuals have had the opportunity to comment on the UK Government proposals for the 2001 Census, issued in March 1999, in a White Paper (Cm 4253 The 2001 Census of Population ). Scottish Ministers have taken account of the proposals set out in the White Paper and comments received since its publication in deciding what topics to propose in the draft Census Order in Council, which has laid before the Scottish Parliament on 10 January.

  Parts of the draft Order are subject to affirmative resolution and the remainder is subject to negative resolution procedures. Paragraphs 1 to 5 of the Schedule to the Census Act 1920 list certain matters about which particulars may be required and which are subject to negative resolution. However, where the draft Order relates to particulars which fall within paragraph 6 of the Schedule to the Census Act 1920, that is, "Any other matters with respect to which it is desirable to obtain statistical information with a view to ascertaining the social or civil condition of the population" then those particulars are subject to affirmative resolution.

  The Census Act 1920 contains provision allowing for those parts of the draft Order subject to affirmative resolution to be modified with the agreement of the Parliament.

  The draft Order will be considered by the Subordinate Legislation Committee and by the lead committee designated by the Parliament. The Subordinate Legislation Committee will report to the lead committee within 20 days of the draft Order being laid. The lead committee is required to report to Parliament no later than 40 days after the draft Order has been laid. The lead committee will set out its recommendations in its report, taking into account any recommendations made by any other committee. If the lead committee recommends that the draft Order be approved with or without modifications, the Parliamentary Bureau shall by motion propose that the Parliament so approve the draft Order.

Civil Service

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional staff it has recruited specifically to answer written Parliamentary questions and what the estimated cost of employing any such staff was in financial year 1999-2000.

Mr Jack McConnell: The establishment of the Scottish Parliament has created an additional workload on the staff of the Executive. Around 170 additional members of staff have been recruited to assist with the general increase in workload including, but not specifically, written Parliamentary Questions.

Culture

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will provide to assist Glasgow City Council with the refurbishment of Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery.

Rhona Brankin: We have no plans to contribute funds towards the refurbishment of Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that there is adequate provision of facilities for recreational, sporting, cultural and social activities for their residents, and are therefore responsible for the costs of operating and maintaining the museums and galleries which they own. Local authority museums and galleries are supported through the general revenue support grant allocations made by the Scottish Executive.

Culture

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will identify the specific departmental budgets which have underspent in 1999-2000, enabling savings to be spent on rescue packages for Scottish Opera and Hampden.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The package to assist Scottish Opera will draw on anticipated savings in the assisted places scheme in 1999-2000, as a result of the scheme being phased out. The remainder of the assistance for Scottish Opera and Hampden has been met from end year flexibility arrangements.

Education

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools in Scotland are not wind and watertight.

Peter Peacock: The overall management of their school building stock is a matter for individual education authorities. Detailed information of the kind requested is not held centrally.

Education

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which secondary schools in Glasgow scheduled for refurbishment with funding from Public Private Partnerships will lose either their gymnasium, swimming pool or games hall following refurbishment.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The details of the Public private partnership contract are matters for Glasgow City Council. The information requested is not held centrally.

Education

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give statistics relating to absenteeism caused by stress related illnesses among teaching staff in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools by local authority area for each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Absenteeism amongst teachers is a matter for local authorities as employers and the information requested is not held centrally.

Education

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the closure of the secondary school at Tomintoul, which only affects one pupil this year, will remain financially advantageous next year, when ten pupils will be affected.

Peter Peacock: This Moray Council proposal cannot be implemented without the consent of the Scottish Ministers. We shall take all relevant issues into account in considering the Council’s application.

Education

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2971 by Peter Peacock on 17 December 1999, whether it had received any written representations from Cathy Craigie MSP on the subject of school closures in Cumbernauld before 2 December 1999 and, if so, how many.

Peter Peacock: I have nothing to add to the answer I gave on 17 December 1999.

Employment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to set up an initiative to monitor the pay of Scottish chief executives and directors of companies, and to compare them with the average wages of their employees.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive has no plans to do so.

Energy

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the recent report by the House of Lords Select Committee on European Communities Electricity from Renewables, which new measures it proposes to encourage efficiency in the use of electricity and thereby reduce electricity consumption and how much energy (TWh/yr) it expects would be saved by these means.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Energy Efficiency Office is tasked with the encouragement of energy efficiency across the private and public sectors in Scotland. It does this by delivering, either on its own or through third parties such as local enterprise companies, the advice and technical information available through the UK Government’s Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme. It also works closely with the Scottish office of the Energy Saving Trust and recently launched with the Trust a Loan Action Scotland scheme of interest free loans for energy efficiency improvements in small businesses, which is expected to save around 1.8kts of carbon per year.

Energy

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified engineers, with an interest in energy matters, are employed in the Scottish Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department.

Henry McLeish: There are none employed directly. However, the Scottish Energy Efficiency Office, the body responsible for the promotion of energy efficiency within the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department, buys in a wide range of engineering support through its participation in the Government’s Best Practice Programme. This Programme provides the public and private sectors with access to consultancy advice including advice from qualified engineers.

  In addition my Department liaise very closely on energy matters with the Rural Affairs Department, where the Climate Change Team employs two Chartered Engineers.

Environment

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a national strategy for flood prevention, what criteria are applied to prioritise flood prevention schemes nationally, how it plans to fund flood prevention, and how long it estimates it will take for its plans to be fulfilled.

Sarah Boyack: Primary responsibility for the protection of land from flooding lies with the landowner concerned. Nevertheless, the Scottish Executive has ensured that local authorities have the necessary powers and resources to mitigate the risk of flooding of non-agricultural land.

  In addition, the Flood Prevention and Land Drainage (Scotland) Act 1997, commenced in July 1997, imposed duties on councils to maintain watercourses where this would reduce the likelihood of flooding, to assess watercourses and to publish biennial reports on flooding.

  The provision of flood prevention schemes is a local matter for the councils concerned, who set the priorities for their own capital expenditure. There has been no need for potential flood prevention schemes to be prioritised by the Scottish Executive and therefore the need to develop criteria has not arisen.

  Schemes promoted by councils under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, and confirmed by Scottish Ministers, are supported by the Scottish Executive with grant at the rate of 50% of eligible costs. Every flood prevention scheme that is confirmed is eligible for grant following construction.

  It is not appropriate for the Scottish Executive to comment on how long it will take for councils’ flood prevention measures to be implemented. It is for the councils concerned to decide on the timing of any work they intend to carry out.

Environment

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support flood prevention schemes in the West of Scotland region, and whether it will list these schemes and their intended completion dates.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive will consider all flood prevention schemes in the West of Scotland region, or elsewhere in Scotland, that local authorities decide to take forward and submit for confirmation by Scottish Ministers.

  Schemes promoted by councils under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, and confirmed by Scottish Ministers, are supported by the Scottish Executive with grant at the rate of 50% of eligible costs.

  The single capital allocation that councils receive for their non-housing capital programme includes provision for flood prevention measures, however, funding for major capital schemes is considered separately.

  Whilst several councils have discussed their proposals with officials, the only schemes where the council concerned has completed its preparations and submitted them to Scottish Ministers, are:

  EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE

  River Kelvin Flood Prevention Scheme. This scheme was the subject of a Public Local Inquiry which was completed earlier this month, the report of which is awaited.

  RENFREWSHIRE

  1. Moredun Playing Field Flood Prevention Scheme, Paisley. A Public Local Inquiry has been requested to resolve outstanding objections.

  2. Collier St. Flood Prevention Scheme for Johnstone. Objections have been made to the scheme, which the Council are still attempting to resolve.

  The question of completion dates, and commencement of construction, is for the councils concerned and not for the Scottish Executive.

Environment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to detail, by local authority area, the additional payments which will be made from the £2.5 million announced to prepare and plan the implementation of the national waste strategy.

Sarah Boyack: The £2.5 million will be distributed as set out in the following table:

  Distribution of £2.5 million for the National Waste Strategy – 2000-01

  


Council 

  

Grant Aided Expenditure 

  

GAE Share 

  



 


£000 

  

% 

  



Aberdeen City 

  

101 

  

4.1 

  



Aberdeenshire 

  

107 

  

4.3 

  



Angus 

  

52 

  

2.1 

  



Argyll & Bute 

  

43 

  

1.7 

  



Clackmannanshire 

  

23 

  

0.9 

  



Dumfries & Galloway 

  

70 

  

2.8 

  



Dundee City 

  

75 

  

3.0 

  



East Ayrshire 

  

57 

  

2.3 

  



East Dunbartonshire 

  

52 

  

2.1 

  



East Lothian 

  

42 

  

1.7 

  



East Renfrewshire 

  

42 

  

1.7 

  



Edinburgh, City of 

  

213 

  

8.5 

  



Eilean Siar 

  

31 

  

1.2 

  



Falkirk 

  

68 

  

2.7 

  



Fife 

  

165 

  

6.6 

  



Glasgow City 

  

296 

  

11.9 

  



Highland 

  

99 

  

3.9 

  



Inverclyde 

  

40 

  

1.6 

  



Midlothian 

  

38 

  

1.5 

  



Moray 

  

41 

  

1.6 

  



North Ayrshire 

  

66 

  

2.6 

  



North Lanarkshire 

  

155 

  

6.2 

  



Orkney Islands 

  

22 

  

0.9 

  



Perth & Kinross 

  

63 

  

2.5 

  



Renfrewshire 

  

84 

  

3.4 

  



Scottish Borders 

  

50 

  

2.0 

  



Shetland Islands 

  

25 

  

1.0 

  



South Ayrshire 

  

54 

  

2.2 

  



South Lanarkshire 

  

146 

  

5.8 

  



Stirling 

  

39 

  

1.6 

  



West Dunbartonshire 

  

48 

  

1.9 

  



West Lothian 

  

91 

  

3.7 

  



TOTAL 

  

2,500 

  

100

Environment

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to encourage home zones initiatives.

Sarah Boyack: I announced at the Home Zones Conference in Stirling on 29 November my intention to commission research to monitor a number of pilot Home Zone Schemes in Scotland.

  The purpose of the research will be to assess the range of techniques that can be used in Home Zones, and to evaluate the extent to which the broad quality of life aims of Home Zones can be achieved within existing legislation.

Environment

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an audit of the Dumfries and Galloway Structure Plan against national planning policy guidelines has been undertaken and, if so, what was the outcome, specifically in relation to the waste management and mineral sections.

Sarah Boyack: In approving the Dumfries and Galloway Structure Plan on 10 December, the Scottish Ministers took full account of all relevant national planning policy guidelines.

  In relation to minerals the Scottish Ministers were content that a detailed minerals policy and criteria for assessing planning applications will be set out in Dumfries and Galloway Council’s forthcoming Minerals Subject Plan. However, a modification to the Structure Plan was made in respect of the policies on opencast coal.

  In relation to waste management the Scottish Ministers were satisfied that the Structure Plan provides a reasonable interim strategy until such time as a longer term waste management strategy is prepared.

Environment

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will put in place to ensure that the waste management and minerals plans referred to in the Dumfries and Galloway Structure Plan will be completed as expeditiously as possible.

Sarah Boyack: The responsibility for ensuring that the plans referred to are completed as expeditiously as possible rests with Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Further Education

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the percentage and number of students dropping out of each of Scotland’s universities and further education colleges in the years 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 broken down by institution.

Henry McLeish: Information is not collected on "drop-out" rates for universities but non-completion rates have been compiled and were published on 3 December 1999 for 1996-97 as part of a package of Performance Indicators. The figures below show the number of starters at each institution in 1996-97, those that are expected not to obtain a qualification and not to transfer to another HE institution, together with the related non-completion rate. A full copy of the  Performance Indicators in Higher Education 1996-97, 1997-98 report is available through the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Comparable information about the further education sector is not available.

  Full-time students starting first degree courses 1996-97 - Numbers projected not to obtain an award or to transfer to another higher education institution in the UK

  


Higher Education Institution 

  

Number of starters 

  

Neither obtain an 

  award nor transfer 

  



 


 


Number 

  

Per cent 

  



All Scottish Institutions 

  

28,926  

  

4,995  

  

17  

  



University of Aberdeen 

  

1,991 

  

389 

  

20  

  



University of Abertay Dundee 

  

1,373  

  

157  

  

11  

  



University of Dundee 

  

1,401  

  

191  

  

14  

  



Edinburgh College of Art 

  

349  

  

32  

  

9  

  



University of Glasgow 

  

3,286  

  

428  

  

13  

  



Glasgow Caledonian University 

  

4,035  

  

1,214  

  

30  

  



Glasgow School of Art 

  

351  

  

35  

  

10  

  



Heriot-Watt University 

  

1,076  

  

179  

  

17  

  



Moray House Institute of Education1


372  

  

47  

  

13  

  



Napier University 

  

1,524  

  

509  

  

33  

  



Northern College of Education 

  

232  

  

48  

  

21  

  



University of Paisley 

  

1,539  

  

456  

  

30  

  



Queen Margaret University College 

  

839  

  

128  

  

15  

  



The Robert Gordon University 

  

1,358  

  

249  

  

18  

  



Royal Scottish Academy of Music 

  & Drama 

  

109  

  

12  

  

11  

  



Scottish College of Textiles 

  

171  

  

22  

  

13  

  



University of St Andrews 

  

958  

  

46  

  

5  

  



St Andrew's College of Education1


181  

  

46  

  

25  

  



University of Stirling 

  

1,190  

  

149  

  

13  

  



University of Strathclyde 

  

3,062 

  

439  

  

14  

  



  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education 1996-97, 1997-98

  Notes:

  1. These institutions have subsequently merged with universities.

Further Education

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many places are available in further education institutions to train nursery nurses over the next two years (2000-02).

Henry McLeish: College Boards of Management have a statutory duty to provide for the likely needs of potential students of their colleges. Colleges have yet to finalise their prospectuses for the forthcoming academic year.

Further Education

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that colleges of further education publish disability statements, similar to those required in England and Wales.

Henry McLeish: There is no statutory requirement for further education colleges in Scotland to produce disability statements. It is however, a condition of a college’s grant-in-aid that its Annual Report should contain statements as to how students with learning difficulties are provided for.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many men were diagnosed as suffering from prostate cancer in the years 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.

Susan Deacon: The most recent year for which complete registration data for prostate cancer is available is 1996, during which 2,027 men were diagnosed as suffering from prostate cancer.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many men died from prostate cancer in the years 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.

Susan Deacon: The number of deaths in Scotland due to prostate cancer is set out below for the three most recent years for which information is available.

  


1996 

  

743 

  



1997 

  

708 

  



1998 

  

677

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of men suffering from prostate cancer in 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94 were still alive five years later.

Susan Deacon: The most recent data relate to men diagnosed between 1991 and 1993. The figures for survival from prostate cancer are as follows:

  


Year of Diagnosis 

  

% Survival at 5 

  Years 

  



1991 

  

34.7 

  



1992 

  

33.2 

  



1993 

  

36.6

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from the Royal College of Physicians regarding the levels and quality of service provided by the accident and emergency department at Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline.

Susan Deacon: I am not aware of any such representations from the Royal College of Physicians.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Parliament’s Information Centre evidence in writing from the Commission of the European Monetary Union for the proposition that EU Law does not permit the continuation of the derogations that are available under the 1995 Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations for Milk-Based Products with Traditional Characteristics and, if not, whether the granting of such derogations remains strictly within the discretionary power of member states.

Susan Deacon: Article 8(2) of Council Directive 92/46 provides that Member States may, in so far as certain requirements of this Directive are likely to affect the manufacture of milk-based products with traditional characteristics, be authorised by the Commission to grant individual or general derogations from Article 7A(1) to (4), which includes certain standards for processing establishments, certain standards for wrapping and packing, and the microbiological criteria.

  Article 1 of the Commission Decision 96/536 established the criteria for milk-based products with traditional characteristics and granted derogations from certain structural, equipment and packing requirements, but not from the microbiological criteria, for products listed in the Annex to the Decision. A second Commission Decision 97/284, replaced 96/536 in its entirety. This Decision authorises Member States to grant derogations to establishments, which manufacture traditional products from structural, equipment and packing requirements as in Decision 96/536, but again, not from the microbiological criteria. The position is therefore that the UK is not authorised by the Commission to maintain the derogation given in Regulation 9(11) of the Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 for microbiological criteria under European law.

  Arrangements are being made for Council Directive 92/46/EEC and Commission Decision 96/536 to be placed in the Parliament’s Information Centre.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1892 by Susan Deacon on 28 October 1999, whether it will extend the period of consultation on the draft Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 until the end of May 2000 in the light of the longer consultation period being allowed for similar regulations in England and Wales.

Susan Deacon: Consultation on the draft Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 ended on 11 October.

  The consultation on these Regulations were extensive and sought views on the effect which removing these derogations will have on industry.

  There are no proposals to extend the consultation period in Scotland. I am advised that the consultation period in England and Wales has not been extended. However, discussions are still ongoing with the Specialist Cheesemakers in respect of structural, equipment and wrapping derogations.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to promote the use of mediation procedures in medical negligence claims in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: We currently have no plans to actively promote the use of mediation procedures in medical negligence claims in Scotland.

  All medical negligence claims in Scotland are handled through the Central Legal Office (CLO) who advise Health Boards and NHS Trusts accordingly. The CLO do consider and offer mediation to the pursuers of action when they feel it is appropriate. It is also open to pursuers to seek mediation. Despite these options, to date no cases in Scotland have been settled as a result of the mediation process.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area were treated in (a) orthopaedic and (b) ophthalmology departments within three months of being placed on the waiting list.

Susan Deacon: 47% of orthopaedic and 56% of ophthalmology patients were treated within three months of being placed on the waiting list within the Greater Glasgow Health Board area.

Health

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to address problems arising from the fact that people in parts of rural Clydesdale will have a three and a half hour round bus trip to get to hospital appointments once local hospital services are largely centralised in Wishaw.

Susan Deacon: The relocation of hospital services from Law Hospital in Carluke to the new General Hospital in Wishaw (some three miles north) is unlikely to increase travelling times for patients to any significant degree since Wishaw is at least as accessible from most parts of Clydesdale as Carluke. Outpatient clinics will continue to be held in Biggar, Douglas and Lanark, as well as Stonehouse Hospital.

Health

John Young (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost to the NHS in Scotland of ailments stemming from drug misuse is.

Susan Deacon: Information is not collected in a way that enables the cost to the NHS in Scotland of treating drug-related ailments to be identified.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-476 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 22 July 1999, whether it is now in a position to provide the promised information on planned outputs from the New Housing Partnership Programme.

  


Planned outputs 

  

Forecast outputs 

  

Position at 30-9-99 

  



Starts 

  

Completions 

  

Starts 

  

Completions 

  

Starts 

  

Completions 

  



1,228 

  

739 

  

1,070 

  

741 

  

449 

  

255

Ms Wendy Alexander: The available information for 1999-2000 is given below.

  A number of councils have still to submit their returns.

  Information from councils indicate that, as at 31 March 1999, 695 units had been completed under the New Housing Partnership programme.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what has been the total amount of housing association grant allocated to housing associations since 1986.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Statistics about housing association grant awarded to housing associations are only readily available from 1 April 1989, when Scottish Homes was established. From that date until 31 March 2000, a total of £2,422,559,000 in housing association grant will have been allocated to housing associations.

  Enquiries are being made to establish, if possible, the amount of grant allocated in the period from 1986. I shall write to the member once those enquiries have been completed.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what has been the total amount in grants for rent to ownership (GRO) allocated to housing associations since 1986.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Housing associations are not eligible to receive grants for rent and ownership (GRO grants).

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the modelling methodology used to calculate the figure of 850 units per year expected to be sold under the extension of the right to buy.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Statistical returns to Scottish Homes identified that around 43,000 households of non-charitable registered housing associations do not have a right to buy.

  A logistic regression using 1996 SHCS data on people who have bought under RTB and their properties, established statistically the quantitative significance of age of head of household, income, and type of property inhabited (i.e. whether flat or house) to the decision to take up RTB.

  The 43,000 households were classified into one of six groups depending on these criteria, and the likely take up on a group specific basis was computed. The take up for each group was then totalled to give an overall estimated take up rate of 2%.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from professional and representative organisations involved in the housing field on the extension of right to buy and which organisations have indicated support for that policy.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I issued a paper on A New Single Social Housing Tenancy and a modernised Right-to-Buy on 7 December. I have since received representations from a number of professional and representative organisations including Shelter and SFHA who have raised concerns. These will be discussed early in the new year.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify its position with regard to the Cost Floor Rules (published by The Scottish Office Development Department in March 1999) with specific reference to clause 5 of that document on relevant costs, in relation to the ability of new landlords to recover costs prior to a property’s sale under right to buy legislation for work carried out prior to transfer.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Section 5 of The Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (Right to Buy) (Cost Floor) Determination 1999 describes the range of relevant works whose costs are used to calculate the Cost Floor of a property. The ability and scope of a landlord to include in that calculation the relevant costs incurred by the property’s previous landlord, is set out in section 6 of the 1999 Determination.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what are the number of housing association units as a percentage of overall social housing units for rent in the following local authority areas: (a) Highland, (b) Moray, (c) Angus, (d) Aberdeenshire, (e) Eilean Siar, (f) Orkney Island, (g) Shetland Islands, (h) Scottish Borders and (i) Dumfries and Galloway.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The table below shows the number of housing association rented houses in each area as a percentage of the total number of local authority, Scottish Homes and housing association houses in that area:

  Highland   18.2% Moray   11.5% Angus   18.8% Aberdeenshire   12.0% Eilean Siar   6.9% Orkney   23.7% Shetland   7.9% Scottish Borders   32.8% Dumfries & Galloway   13.9%

  Sources:

  1. Housing association and Scottish Homes stock - Scottish Homes (data correct as at 31 March 1999).

  2. Local authority housing stock. Local Authority Housing Revenue Account return (data correct as at 30 September 1998).

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what are the target dates for ballot amongst the seven councils on track for wholesale stock transfer.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Where councils have set target ballot dates, these range from November 2000 to early 2002.

Joint Committees

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated total annual costs to the Executive are of each and all of the proposed joint committees between it and Her Majesty's Government and whether it will provide a detailed computation of such expenses showing the estimated costs of (a) any expenses, including travel, subsistence and accommodation, paid to ministers, civil servants and special advisers attending such meetings (b) civil servants’ time in serving on or otherwise supporting such meetings (c) the hire of accommodation (d) the provision of meals and refreshments (e) any receptions or other functions, social or otherwise (f) any other associated costs; whether it will indicate the number of civil servants attending such meetings, and, if it will not detail the above costs and figures, why not.

Donald Dewar: The precise costs to the Executive cannot be known in advance, nor in such detail. They will be met from the overall administration budget.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many serving councillors have been convicted of fraud or other forms of corruption broken down by local authority in each of the last three years and what their party of affiliation was at the time of conviction.

Angus MacKay: The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a system of no fault compensation in Scotland and, if so, for which category of claims.

Mr Jim Wallace: We do not have any plans at present to change the law of reparation to introduce a system of no fault compensation in Scotland.

Justice

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1557 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 28 September 1999, whether it intends to introduce a new statutory basis for funding family mediation and marriage support services, following the consultation on The Scottish Office document Improving Scottish Family Law .

Mr Jim Wallace: We are still considering the way forward on this matter and others in the light of the consultation and I will make an announcement in due course.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many telephone tappings it has authorised since 1 July 1999 and what discussions it has had with the Home Secretary on this matter.

Mr Jim Wallace: During the period 1 July to 20 December 1999 Scottish Ministers authorised 119 telephone interception warrants against targets engaged in serious crime.

  Under the Scotland Act 1998, national security and the interception of communications are reserved matters. Responsibility for issuing warrants on national security grounds transferred to the Home Secretary on 1 July 1999. All relevant agencies and government departments were fully consulted on these arrangements.

Justice

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to investigate the scope for the further use of alternative dispute resolution in the Scottish civil justice system.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is interested in investigating the possibility of widening the scope for the use of alternative dispute resolution in the civil justice system, where it is feasible and appropriate. Research is currently being undertaken on the effectiveness of the mediation services provided as part of the In-Court Adviser service at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and this will inform future policy development in this area.

Local Government

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-2224 and S1W-2867 by Mr Frank McAveety on 25 November 1999 and 14 December 1999 respectively, whether it considers that Stirling Council acted lawfully in relation to the co-option of individuals and council committees against the advice of its monitoring officer.

Mr Frank McAveety: I understand that it has been the policy of Stirling Council since 1996 to include in committees members who were thought to be able to bring particular useful points of view or experience to the work of the committees. The Council is fully entitled to follow that policy, within the limits of the law. In the light of its experience of operating the policy, I have invited the leader of the council to let me know of any suggestions which we might consider for amendment of the legislation governing membership of councils.

Local Government Finance

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by Mr Jack McConnell on local government finance on 8 December 1999, whether it will publicise the criteria for allocating the £15 million held back from the total allocation for discussion between the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities and the Deputy Minister for Local Government and indicate whether councils in rural areas will be eligible for any part of the allocation.

Mr Jack McConnell: The criteria for allocating the £15 million are under consideration and will be announced in due course. No restrictions have been applied on which councils might be eligible to benefit from these resources.

Local Government Finance

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by Mr Jack McConnell on local government finance on 8 December 1999, whether indicative spending guidelines will operate in 2000-01 in the same way as they did in 1999-2000 and whether it will outline the action it proposes to take, if any, in relation to councils which propose expenditure above guidelines or council tax increases above 5%.

Mr Jack McConnell: Expenditure guidelines will operate in 2000-01 in the same way as they did in 1999-2000. I expect local authorities to budget within guideline. Where any authority exceeds its guideline, I shall consider all the relevant factors at the time before deciding what action to take.

Local Government Finance

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by Mr Jack McConnell on local government finance on 8 December 1999, whether the £15 million held back from the total allocations will be given as specific grant to the successful councils and treated as an increase in the said councils’ indicative spending guidelines.

Mr Jack McConnell: The arrangements for allocating the £15 million which has been released within the settlement are still under consideration and a further announcement will be made in due course.

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the £6.5 million special deprivation allowance for 2000-01 is included in grant-aided expenditure figures for that year rather than being "top-sliced" as indicated by the Minister for Finance in his statement to the Parliament on 8 December.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Special Deprivation Payment is being treated as a special allowance outwith Grant-Aided Expenditure; the resources are not hypothecated and are intended to apply for one year only, pending the completion of a joint review with CoSLA of the account taken of deprivation and poverty within the local government finance distribution formula.

Local Government Finance

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs, if any, it estimates will be lost in local government as a result of the recently announced financial settlement for Scottish councils.

Mr Jack McConnell: Government Supported Expenditure will be £6,746 million in 2000-01, an increase of 3.7% over the comparable figure for this year, and higher than the projected increase in inflation. It is for individual local authorities to prepare their own budgets in the light of their own local circumstances, which may vary, as will their employment decisions.

Ministerial Correspondence

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it to be acceptable practice that a letter sent to the Minister for Justice by a member on 30 September 1999 on behalf of a constituent (Mr Peter Crouch) should remain unacknowledged on 21 December 1999.

Mr Jim Wallace: Unfortunately, there is no trace of the letter referred to and it appears that it was never received. If the member wishes to provide me with another copy I will ensure that it is answered as quickly as possible.

Ministerial Staff

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total annual employment costs of employing a full complement of (a) Special Advisers and (b) other staff within its Policy Unit are.

Donald Dewar: At present there are five Special Advisers employed within the Policy Unit at a total annual employment cost of £275,000. The cost of employing the other staff within the Policy Unit is £200,000.

Ministerial Staff

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-146 by Donald Dewar on 2 July 1999, whether it will provide updated information on the staff employed in its Policy Unit, including the job titles, role and payscales of each member of staff and the line manager, contract length and office location of each member of staff.

Donald Dewar: Further to my Answer of 2 July, the staff currently employed in the Policy Unit, with job title, reporting line, contract length and office location, are as follows:

  


Name 

  

Job Title 

  

Reports to 

  

Contract length 

  



Brian Fitzpatrick 

  

Head 

  

First Minister 

  

See Note 1 

  



Philip Rycroft 

  

Deputy Head 

  

Head of Executive 

  Secretariat 

  

Indefinite 

  



Kenneth Hogg 

  

Project Leader 

  

Philip Rycroft 

  

Indefinite 

  



Joanna Young 

  

Project Leader 

  

Philip Rycroft 

  

Indefinite 

  



Sam Ghibaldan 

  

Special Adviser 

  

Deputy First Minister 

   

  

See notes 1 and 2 

  



Duncan Maclennan 

  

Special Adviser 

  

Brian Fitzpatrick 

  

Seconded for initial 

  period of two years 

  



John McLaren 

  

Special Adviser 

  

Brian Fitzpatrick 

  

See Note 1 

  



Chris Winslow 

  

Special Adviser 

  

Brian Fitzpatrick 

  

See Note 1 

  



Jan Anderton 

  

Executive Assistant 

  

Philip Rycroft 

  

Indefinite 

  



Jenny Haggarty 

  

Administrative Officer 

  

Joanna Young 

  

Indefinite 

  



Catherine Docherty 

  

Administrative Assistant 

  

Jan Anderton 

  

New Deal Programme 

  



  Notes:

  1. These Special Adviser appointments are held for a period which cannot extend beyond the end of the term of office as member of the Scottish Executive of the person whom he is appointed to advise; until the end of the Scottish Cabinet; or in the event of a General Election to the Scottish Parliament on the day after Polling Day.

  2. Mr Ghibaldan advises the Deputy First Minister across the range of the Executive’s work.

  The Policy Unit is based in St Andrew’s House. Its members are engaged in developing the strategic capacity of the Executive and working up new policies. Those who are Special Advisers also give political advice to Ministers.

  I announced the arrangements which I have put in place regarding Special Advisers’ pay in Scotland on 22 November (Official Report Vol. 3 No 5; S1W 2650 Mike Watson MSP).

Nursery Education

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to address any conflict of interest in the provision of pre-school education by virtue of the fact that local authorities are regulators, providers and fundholders.

Peter Peacock: Provision of pre-school education is subject to scrutiny by authorities’ own internal auditors, to ensure proper separation of interests and the achievement of value for money from public funds. These disciplines apply no less to pre-school education than to other services where local authorities have a multi-functional role. The Accounts Commission are reviewing practice by local authorities in commissioning pre-school education places with a view to developing recommendations on good practice. I refer also to my answer to question S1W-3313 on the quality and consistency of regulation between private and state nurseries.

Parliamentary Questions

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide an answer to question S1W-2441 lodged on 9 November 1999 and whether it will provide an explanation for the delay.

Susan Deacon: PQ S1W-2441 was answered on 22 December 1999.

Planning

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1677 by Sarah Boyack on 29 November 1999, whether it will issue a consultation paper on any reform of the planning process and, if so, whether it will seek out the views of those (a) whose planning applications have been rejected by local authorities and (b) whose applications were rejected after appeal/enquiry, and, if not, why not.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-2768

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the administrative costs are to Scottish police forces of the issuing of fixed penalty fines broken down by type of fine and by constabulary area.

Mr Jim Wallace: Administrative costs of issuing fixed penalties are not calculated in the form requested.

Prison Service

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of a proposal to privatise the General Medical Practitioners Service of the Scottish Prison Service, whether it considers that this proposal would create a precedent for publicly funded health services, and whether it will make an announcement on this subject in due course.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Prison Service's Board has accepted the recommendation of its Medical Service Review Group that, to ensure the consistent and cost effective delivery of medical services in Scottish prisons they should be contracted out. SPS is therefore developing a detailed service specification and will shortly test the level of interest by advertising SPS's intent to contract out these services.

  I do not consider that a precedent will be created.

Special Advisers

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been or will be any payment made to the former Special Adviser Mr John Rafferty arising from the termination of his employment and, if so, to provide full details of such payment.

Donald Dewar: Mr Rafferty will receive what he is due under the terms of his contract of employment. A copy of the model contract for Special Advisers is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Special Advisers

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Mr John Rafferty is to be paid approximately £20,000 out of public or Labour Party funds and whether he breached the Civil Service Code by giving false information to the media.

Donald Dewar: Under the terms of their contract of employment, Special Advisers are Civil Servants and as such are paid from public funds. Mr Rafferty will therefore receive what he is due under the terms of his contract. Mr Rafferty’s departure did not rest on a breach of the Civil Service Code. A copy of the model contract of employment for Special Advisers is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Sport

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the up-to-date details of the rescue package agreed with its joint funders of the Hampden Stadium redevelopment company, from which budget the funds will be taken and what items of expenditure will not now be funded.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I refer to the detailed statement I made to the Parliament on Thursday 16 December.

Sport

Allan Wilson (Cunninghame North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary schools, by local authority area, have applied for an award towards the appointment of a school sports co-ordinator and at what cost to  sportscotland.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested by Mr Wilson is detailed in the table below.

  


Local Authority Area 

  

Number of Schools 

  

Lottery Sports Fund 

  Award 

  



City of Edinburgh Council 

  

25 

  

£312,500 

  



Angus Council 

  

7 

  

£87,500 

  



Perth and Kinross Council 

  

10 

  

£120,450 

  



City of Glasgow Council 

  

21 

  

£347,700 

  



Highland Council 

  

27 

  

£326,700 

  



North Lanarkshire Council 

  

22 

  

£275,000 

  



South Lanarkshire Council 

  

2 

  

£25,000 

  



Dumfries and Galloway Council 

  

1 

  

£12,500 

  



West Lothian Council 

  

11 

  

£137,500 

  



Aberdeen City Council 

  

14 

  

£175,000 

  



East Ayrshire Council 

  

9 

  

£118,800 

  



Dundee City Council 

  

10 

  

£125,000 

  



Fife Council 

  

16 

  

£150,400 

  



Falkirk Council 

  

2 

  

£66,000 

  



Aberdeenshire Council  

  

4 

  

£50,000 

  



East Lothian Council 

  

6 

  

£75,000 

  



Argyll and Bute Council 

  

1 

  

£3,200 

  



Clackmannanshire Council 

  

3 

  

£37,500 

  



South Ayrshire Council 

  

9 

  

£112,500 

  



Renfrewshire Council 

  

1 

  

£12,500 

  



Totals 

  

201 

  

£2,570,750 

  



  Both South Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Councils have now withdrawn from the School Sports Co-ordinators Programme and will not receive the awards detailed above. Borders Council was unsuccessful in its application for an award. The Lottery Sports Fund awards will be paid over a four year period.

Student Finance

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the Quigley Report on tuition fees or when it expects to receive it, and when it will bring this matter before the Parliament with its response.

Henry McLeish: No. The Quigley Committee is required to provide a report in time for it to be laid before each House of the Westminster Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly not later than 1 April 2000. The Executive will consider its response when the report is received.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the aims of the steering group being headed by Scottish Enterprise to look into the possibility of setting up freight ferry services between Scotland and the continent and what effect it would expect such a service to have on the Scottish economy as a whole.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive welcomes the establishment by Scottish Enterprise of a Project Steering Group to promote the opportunity to operate a direct ferry service from Scotland to the continent. The Executive would expect the Steering Group to examine the potential costs and benefits of establishing a viable service, including the effects it might have on the Scottish economy as a whole.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer what proposals or options are before the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body in relation to Queensberry House and whether MSPs will be consulted on this issue.

Sir David Steel: There have been no further developments affecting Queensberry House since my answer of 10 December to Ms Margo MacDonald (S1W-3026). This reported that there are no plans to demolish Queensberry House and that the SPCB is awaiting the results of detailed specialist investigations and the associated cost estimates of remedial works. The SPCB will continue to keep MSPs informed about the Holyrood building at key stages in the project.